[Xiangxiang: The Thousand Mechanism Pavilion toy seems to be that red beetle robot. When it transforms, it flips upside down and its head grows out of its butt.]

[Junior Sister: That doesn't sound right. It should be that dog-shaped plushie, as far as I remember.]

[Xiangxiang: That's Zhuo Bika Burra, a bloodsucking monster Zhang Ze made up on the spot. And the original prototype was a wolf, not a dog.]

While the two of them were muttering away, the ritual over there came to an end not long after.

The Holy Tree opened the passage once again.

Granny Anya waved her hand, motioning for Zhang Ze to come over, and tied a hand ring around his wrist.

The hand ring was woven from vine and leaves, golden all over, giving off a faint glow.

"As long as you have this hand ring on, I'll be able to pull you back.

"Be careful!"

After giving this final reminder, Granny Anya turned her head to look at Di Zhuomala.

Di Zhuomala nodded, sliced open her own palm, and as the first drop of blood fell to the ground, Zhang Ze disappeared into the tree hollow.

.....

The instant he entered the Earth Sea, Zhang Ze activated his Innate Dao Body.

To prevent causing secondary damage, he didn't enter from inside the Holy Tree, but sank straight down into the Earth Sea instead.

There was no light around him, only rippling waves of nothingness echoing out. He raised his right hand, and two golden threads appeared before his eyes.

One was wrapped around that golden hand ring on his wrist and extended backward. The other coiled around his fingertip and extended all the way downward, pointing toward where Li was.

Following the golden thread downward, time and space lost all meaning here. He didn't know how long it had been before something finally appeared in front of Zhang Ze other than himself. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Golden root systems, broken and discontinuous, spread throughout the void, and at the exact center of these roots stood a golden giant tree, exactly the same as the one aboveground.

The Holy Tree existed simultaneously in reality and in the Earth Sea.

Badass.

After silently sighing this to himself, Zhang Ze continued along the golden thread, searching for Li's location.

Very soon, he arrived beside one of the Holy Tree's branches.

The golden thread disappeared into it.

Reaching out to touch it, he found that the Holy Tree in the Earth Sea wasn't solid. Zhang Ze couldn't quite put that feeling into words, but his hand passed straight through.

In that instant, a force surged toward him, but his hand ring on his wrist quickly lit up, dispersing the power that was trying to assimilate him.

Zhang Ze braced himself mentally, then dove his whole body in.

Even with the Innate Dao Body, Zhang Ze could still feel an extreme sense of compression and wrapping, as if the Holy Tree instinctively wanted to squeeze him out.

And every time that force surged, his hand ring lit up, and that power would vanish for a brief moment, allowing Zhang Ze to move forward.

In this way he advanced with difficulty, three steps forward, two steps back.

But after getting used to this in-and-out, squeezed-tight way of moving, it actually wasn't that bad.

The biggest problem Zhang Ze was facing now was that he seemed to be a little lost.

The golden fine thread connecting him to Li wasn't taut at all times, but existed like a meandering little river, giving Zhang Ze only a general sense of direction.

However, inside this Holy Tree born beneath the Earth Sea, everything—absolutely everything—was golden.

Zhang Ze simply couldn't see clearly where that golden thread was actually leading.

And logically, now that he was closer, he should theoretically be able to sense Li's presence. But no matter how he called out, Li never responded.

Zhang Ze stopped moving, no longer darting around like a headless fly. He began trying to communicate with the Holy Tree.

He didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a shot. After all, it didn't cost anything.

"Uh, I'm not a bad guy, I'm a good person.

"I came here to help you pull out a thorn. I'll leave once it's out.

"But right now I can't really see the way, and this place doesn't come with auto pathfinding.

"Asking you to widen this opening isn't very realistic either."

"So… could you change color for me?"

Zhang Ze didn't know whether the Holy Tree would respond to him or not; he was just giving it a try.

If it didn't work, then he could only keep fumbling forward like before, like an old granny teasing apart a ball of thread, inch by inch.

Unexpectedly, the Holy Tree responded.

It was just that this kind of response was something most people probably couldn't withstand.

A vast current of consciousness punched through his Innate Dao Body, flushing Zhang Ze from the inside out, giving him a thorough spiritual-level cleansing and marrow-washing.

And this impact, enough to turn an ordinary person into an idiot, was merely a single response from the Holy Tree.

[Good]

That was roughly what it meant; Zhang Ze wasn't completely sure. But the Holy Tree really did begin changing color from the inside out.

It turned all pink and rosy.

The golden thread connecting Zhang Ze and Li once again became clearly visible.

"Nice!"

Zhang Ze gave the Holy Tree a thumbs-up, and the Holy Tree rewarded him with another round of spiritual baptism.

...

Holy Tree Division.

With Granny Anya's permission, Xiangxiang had already drifted off toward the Spirit-Praying Cave to look through those Barbarian Tribe tomes that were open to the public.

Di Zhuomala had been kicked out by Granny Anya, but it wasn't a case of discarding her after use; it was for protection.

In the end, Granny Anya made the most correct decision.

Namely, that the matter of the Holy Tree Main Priest succession shouldn't be decided so hastily.

Di Zhuomala was actually a very good child, and the ritual just now had also proven her capability.

Whether it ended up being dual leaders, or one honorary Main Priest and one de facto Deputy Priest with real authority, all of that was negotiable, discussable, open to consultation.

So for the sake of Di Zhuomala's safety, Granny Anya personally took over the subsequent rituals.

Junior Sister was also politely invited out of that tree hollow.